Sidekicker vs. traditional recruitment agencies: which is the better choice for your business?

Hiring hospitality staff comes with its own set of challenges. One day, you’re fully staffed and everything is running smoothly. Next, you’re scrambling to fill last-minute gaps in the roster, calling agencies, and hoping someone, anyone, can show up on time.

For years, businesses have relied on traditional recruitment agencies to find workers. But as the hospitality industry moves faster, agencies are starting to feel outdated. They can be expensive, slow, and don’t always deliver the quality of staff businesses expect.

That’s where Sidekicker comes in. But how does it compare to a traditional recruitment agency? Let’s take a deep dive.

Understanding Traditional Recruitment Agencies

For decades, recruitment agencies have been the go-to option for businesses needing staff. The process is usually the same:

• You contact the agency with your staffing needs.
• The agency searches its database for available candidates.
• A recruiter selects workers and offers them the shift.
• If the workers accept, they turn up for the job.

It sounds straightforward, but in reality, the process is often slow and expensive. Since agencies rely on recruiters to manually find and assign workers, it can take hours or even days to fill shifts. And because workers aren’t rated or reviewed, you have no real visibility into who’s turning up until they walk through the door.

The Downsides of Traditional Recruitment Agencies

While recruitment agencies can be useful in certain situations, they come with drawbacks that can make staffing more of a headache than a solution.

• High Costs – Agencies charge a premium for their services, often taking a significant cut from every worker’s wage. This means businesses end up paying up to 30% more for staff compared to alternatives like Sidekicker.
• Slow Hiring Process – Since agencies rely on recruiters to manually match workers to jobs, the process can take hours or even days, which isn’t ideal if you need staff quickly.
• Limited Control – You don’t get to choose who works for you. The agency selects workers, and you simply have to trust their decision.
• No Transparency – With no ratings or past work history available, you never really know what kind of worker will turn up
• Inconsistent Fill Rates – If an agency can’t find someone in time, your shift may go unfilled, leaving you scrambling at the last minute.

What Makes Sidekicker Different?

Sidekicker is not a traditional agency. It’s a technology-driven platform designed to make hiring temp staff faster, cheaper, and more transparent than ever before.

Instead of waiting for recruiters to match workers manually, Sidekicker connects businesses instantly with thousands of pre-vetted hospitality workers ready to go. You post a job, available workers apply, and you decide who to hire—just like that.

How Sidekicker Works

• Post a job anytime – Day or night, businesses can create job requests in just a few clicks.
• Instantly connect with qualified workers – Pre-vetted hospitality staff can apply immediately.
• Choose your workers – Select from available candidates or let the system auto-assign shifts.
• Manage shifts and rehire top talent – Build a pool of your favourite workers so you can request them again and again.

With a 95% shift fill rate, Sidekicker is designed to help you find reliable staff faster and more efficiently than traditional agencies ever could. It’s a win-win. 

Sidekicker vs. Traditional Agencies: Key Differences

1. Speed and Efficiency

Hospitality moves fast, and when you need staff, you need them now (or yesterday).

• Traditional Agencies: Staffing requests go through multiple layers of recruiters, often taking hours or even days to fill.
• Sidekicker: With 90% of roles being filled within the hour, Sidekicker Instantly connects businesses with available workers, ensuring shifts are filled faster than traditional agencies.

2. Cost Savings

Paying 30% more for the same worker? That doesn’t sound like a good deal. 

• Traditional Agencies: Charge high fees to cover recruiter salaries, office costs, and profit margins.
• Sidekicker: Eliminates unnecessary costs, saving 30% on hospitality agency fees and passing the savings directly to you.

3. Flexibility and Control

Want to rehire your best workers? With Sidekicker, you can.

• Traditional Agencies: Choose workers for you, offering no way to request the same staff repeatedly.
• Sidekicker: Allows businesses to build talent pools, meaning you can book the same reliable workers time and time again.

4. Transparency and Accountability

No one likes taking a gamble on unreliable staff.

• Traditional Agencies: No ratings, no reviews, no way to track worker performance.
• Sidekicker: Every worker is rated and reviewed after each shift, ensuring businesses get access to the most reliable talent.

5. 24/7 Support and Compliance

Hospitality can feel like an ‘always-on’ industry, so why work with a staffing provider that only operates during business hours?

• Traditional Agencies: Operate on a 9–5 schedule, meaning urgent requests outside office hours may go unanswered.
• Sidekicker: Offers round-the-clock support and ensures all workers meet compliance requirements before they start working.

Why More Businesses Are Switching to Sidekicker

Thousands of businesses across Australia are making the switch from traditional agencies to Sidekicker. Here’s why:

• Faster hiring – 90% of shifts filled within an hour. 
• Lower costs – Save up to 30% on traditional agency fees.
• More control – Choose who works for you and build a reliable team.
• Better reliability – Worker ratings ensure consistent, high-quality staff.
• 24/7 support – Get assistance anytime, day or night.

With Sidekicker, you get access to thousands of qualified, pre-vetted hospitality professionals at your fingertips. You can choose who works for you, track their performance, and build a team of reliable workers who are always ready to help. 

Ready to take your recruitment to the next level? Making the switch to Sidekicker is easy. Simply sign up, create a job request, and start connecting with pre-vetted workers who are eager to help out. Whether you need staff for a few hours, an entire day or a few months, Sidekicker is the flexible, efficient, and cost-effective solution. 

Join thousands of businesses already using Sidekicker to find qualified, reliable hospitality staff—without the hassle of a traditional agency. Sign up today!